As my close friends and family members can attest, I absolutely adore the holiday season. I love every tradition — from parties and family visits to festive foods and gifts galore. This is the ultimate time of year to celebrate and reflect with the people closest to us. With so many holiday attractions and events in our city, Philadelphia is a wonderful place to live or work during this time of year. In that spirit, I’ve prepared my top holiday recommendations for your reading pleasure. These are the seasonal events and attractions that have the city buzzing with excitement. If my list isn’t enough to keep you busy, visit gophila.com for a daily calendar and searchable database of seasonal events and attractions. Happy holidays!
— The Comcast Holiday Spectacular in 3-D: The Comcast Center, 1701 John F. Kennedy Blvd., and its “Winter Garden” lobby features the world’s largest HD, LED-lit video wall. The Comcast Experience features spectacular images and shows projected on the HD video wall all year-round, but the Holiday Spectacular in 3-D is a jaw-dropping, 19-minute video that runs at the top of each hour from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. The show runs through New Year’s Day.
— Christmas Village in Philadelphia: A few blocks east of the Comcast Center is Philadelphia’s City Hall, which is hosting the Christmas Village — an outdoor holiday market open through Christmas Eve. Located on the west side of City Hall, the Christmas Village features over 50 vendors in wooden booths and timber houses selling European-inspired food and drinks, as well as holiday gifts, arts and crafts. The village is open daily from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Visit philachristmas.com for more information.
— Peter Nero and the Philly Pops: Holiday POPS!: From Dec. 5-20, Peter Nero and the Philly Pops will present their annual Holiday POPS performance at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall, 300 S. Broad St. Arguably the Pops’ most popular annual concert event, the Holiday POPS will feature Broadway star Lauren Kennedy, the 150-person Pops Festival Chorus, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Gospel Choir, the Philadelphia Boys Choir and organist Peter Conte. Visit kimmelcenter.org for information.
— Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus: A Vintage Holiday Concert: This weekend, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus presents its annual holiday concert at the Lutheran Church of Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St. Beginning 8 p.m. Dec. 4-5, the performance will include the world premiere of “A Very Special Christmas Special,” a nostalgic journey through holiday favorites and television features of yesteryear. Tickets, $20-$50, can be purchased at pgmc.org.
— A Longwood Gardens Christmas: Located just 30 miles outside of downtown, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, is one of the region’s most beautiful scenic attractions. Every holiday season, Longwood Gardens is transformed into a holiday paradise with special events, performances and light displays. This year’s event runs through Jan. 10, but make sure to visit tickets.longwoodgardens.org to begin planning your trip today!
— 2009 PAFA Holiday Student Print Sale: Taking place tonight, Dec. 4, from 5:30-8:30 at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St., the school’s Printmaking Department will hold its Annual Holiday Print Sale. These original works are all available for under $100, and they make excellent holiday gifts for family and friends. To learn more, visit pafa.org.
— Caroling by the UPENN Glee Club: The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club will kick off the final countdown to Dec. 25 at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13, with a musical montage guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit. Taking place in the beautiful Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania, 100 Northwestern Ave., the glee club will perform holiday favorites as guests mix and mingle throughout the arboretum’s holiday light and foliage displays. Adult tickets to the arboretum are only $14.
I hope these recommendations will help you get in the spirit of the season. To keep the list growing, please send your favorite holiday events to [email protected], and I’ll post them on my blog, Nightlifegay.com. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer!